Digital content producers, such as music and video producers, want the ability to control the distribution of their digital content so that unauthorized consumers cannot easily get pristine digital copies of their digital products. For example, it may be desirable to implement a system that limits the number of digital media players allowed to transfer digital content. In such a system, it should not be possible for one person to acquire protected digital content, acquired via subscription or purchase, and pass the legitimately acquired copy of digital content to an unlimited number of digital devices or consumers.
In addition, digital content producers, such as music labels and studios, are also concerned with the emerging home digital ecosystem. The home media ecosystem (HME) allows an authorized user to play her legitimately acquired digital content in any locale within the ecosystem. The concerns in this environment include the fear that the HME may serve as a distribution platform for unauthorized use. For example, a authorized user of a HME could misuse the HME to acquire protected digital content and then distribute it outside of the HME to other customers or to an unlimited number of digital media players.
One answer to these concerns is to include a full digital rights management (DRM) system in the HME to preclude, at least, the initial unauthorized acquisition of a protected digital work. However, excessive restrictions on the use of that legitimately acquired digital work may make the purchasing consumer feel as if he does not really own what he purchased. But, some reasonable restrictions should be placed on the purchased digital content to protect the intellectual property rights of the content producers. Today, some digital content distribution systems have limited solutions to address some of the unauthorized use concerns. For example, a single distributing agent, such as a web site, can supply digital content to only one specific type of digital media playback device. Although there is no limit to the total number of devices or consumers having the devices, this approach limits the consumer from legitimately using multiple types of devices for playback. Thus, the owner of the digital media device may feel overly restricted in using her digital ecosystem. Another approach is to limit the total number of transfers of digital content to specific devices. This too, by itself, may be overly restrictive in some circumstances of authorized consumer use. Today, consumers frequently download digital content to their local personal computers (PCs) and then distribute the content to the media players of their choice. However, this practice also opens the door to unauthorized distribution and use as noted above.
Thus, there is a need for a system and method that restrains the unauthorized use of digital content yet allows flexibility in use to a consumer.